Chapter 7

Yaddle felt a chill shooting through her. How could something be so dark and undetectable right under the heels of the Jedi Temple?! Her emotions were catapulting right through her, emotions that were not the way of the Jedi. The darkness was oily, powerful, blunt, but constrained...

The twenty or so Jedi with her all felt the darkness and some of them even shivered at it. The most controlled like Master Plo Koon even stiffened. Yaddle couldn't fault the Kel Dor as all of them stood around the fortress of darkness.

A cackle came from the shadows. "My friends, I'm inside of my own laboratory, doing productive research. Why are you here? I do hope that one of my fellow workers didn't do something as major such as unleashing a chemical bomb on Coruscant. I always had to be careful about that." The shadowy figure spoke conversationally.

Darkness rolled inside of him, and they all knew it. The few Jedi moving around, blocking off any escapes, confirmed this.

Yaddle reached for her orange lightsaber and activated it. "Under arrest, you are, Darth Plagueis!"

The figure chuckled. "That's my name, don't wear it out. May I ask for what crime?"

"For being a Sith fanatic, controlling the Chancellor, a whatever else the courts can decide!" A Knight shouted in the back.

"A fanatic, am I?" Golden eyes gleamed. "The Jedi have truly fallen from what they once were. Couldn't even accept that your greatest enemy has returned. I can guarantee you, young man, I am no fanatic."

"Brought in, you will be! Don't resist!" She sneered, taking another breath as the darkness attempted to claim her.

"Is it the Jedi way to approach with such disrespect? Considering you are of the Grandmaster's species, one would presume you would have more patience. Come now, let's drink some tea and discuss philosophies." He waved his arms around. "I have all the time in the galaxy."

Master Plo Koon barked, close to anger. "You will stand down and submit yourself to the Jedi Order or we'll bring you end by force."

The darkness amplified, and bone chilling laughter escaped him yet again. The figure abandoned his current stance and fell into a fighting position.

"I'll love to see you try, Jedi."

A red blade intruded. "How you discover my presence, I wonder." The figure tapped the location of his chin. "Oh! My apprentice, huh! This spells of his treachery. He must have converted back to the former nature of the Sith and hindered any growth we could have made together. Quite a shame."

"Found, your apprentice will be. Died a millennium ago, the true Sith have." Yaddle said calmly, though her patience was being tested. Rather this was a mad follower or not, she couldn't deny the power that surrounded him.

She charged forward, the rest of the Jedi following suit, the few remaining behind to cut off all the exit points.

The figure remained frozen until the last second before his blade was buried into the closest Knight, dropping him to the ground. He flipped around, deflecting assaults from the Jedi who attempted to catch him at his flank, and retaliated with the form the green Jedi recognized as Juyo. Two fell, the three managed to keep up barely, and their arms moved quickly, trying to guard each other and themselves.

Yaddle came back on his shoulders and attempted to cut his head off. She would have been successful if the Muun hadn't dodged in the last moment and caught her in a hold and sent her flying back into the wall. Now, Master Koon was throwing everything he had at the figure.

The Jedi attempted to surround him again, but the fanatic kept them at bay as the two exchanged powerful strikes. She was hoping that her old friend could present them with a crippling move that could finally bring an end to the battle.

And for a moment, her wish seemed to come true. It wasn't unsurprising. Yoda and Koon were a lot closer in lightsaber dueling than one would think. In one singular moment, he faltered, allowing Koon to drive his lightsaber forward, prepared to run it through his chest.

The fanatic recovered yet again, twisting his heel and slamming it into the advancing Jedi. However, the attack didn't fail completely. The tip of his blade caught him in the stomach, and the fanatic wounded over. This provided the opportunity for the rest of the Jedi to recover their bearings and rushed to aid their fellow Jedi, including Yaddle's.

They directed the Force into his direction, attempting to bring him down, but unfortunately it just wasn't enough. The simultaneous blast was meant to send him flying backwards into the wall. The only thing it did was for the figure to broke through their grasp and absorb with his own attack, that being a red current flying at their direction, slamming into the chest of some of them, killing them immediately. The others, Yaddle among them, fell back, their legs almost giving way, but they managed to keep themselves up.

The figure attacked yet again, the wound that Koon given him not wavering him in the slightest. The Jedi were outmatched, killed or incapacitated instantly. She could only resist trembling at the sight of so many Jedi being cut down right in front of her.

She watched as one of the brown-hair younger ones fell back with fear, his green lightsaber activating in the last moment and barely deflecting the blow. Yaddle regained her bearings and lunged at his direction, assisting her fellow Jedi against the fanatic. But it wasn't enough. It just simply wasn't...

At any other time, the young Jedi would have been able to stand against this rival, but the blade skewered right through his shoulder. Not all of his victims were dead. The Kel Dor drove his hand forward, and yellow electricity busted through, and for a moment it would appear that they had him.

"Drop your weapon," Yaddle demanded, her lightsaber aimed at his heart.

The figure disappeared and emerged right behind one of the female Jedi. She reached out her hand, attempting to save the woman, but the lightsaber pierced right through her heart, ending her life.

The figure threw up his hands, and lightning boomed out of his fingertips. Yaddle was about to catch it on her hand, same for Koon and a few others with their lightsabers. Most fell with screams, seeming to boost the enemy's power.

"Is this the best you have to offer?" The figure taunted, ending the attack. "You are fortunate you're not crossing my apprentice. He would make this much more slower, delaying the inevitable. Still a brat, that one is."

The remaining Jedi - she and six others including Master Koon - charged forward and slammed their blades down. The figure broke the shards off to the fortress and sent them flying, forcing them to break up into formation. One was stabbed through the stomach effortlessly moaning along with those still alive, and the others only solution was to raise their hands as they attempted to protect their heads. As a result of his current assault, another one was caught in the arm and screamed as he collapsed onto the ground.

Yaddle jumped on top of a nearby table, knocking some green chemicals onto the ground. If anything, else, the inferno intensified, and he lost his calm composure. "YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT!"

He outstretched his hand, not at them, but around them.

An explosion sent them flying. He no longer was playing any games, cutting through them effortlessly. Only Plo Koon was last, their lightsabers driving against one another. Calculated and determined, the "fanatic" who continued coming down on the Kel Dor.

He opened some nearby counterparts and sent some of the jars flying at Yaddle. She only raised her hand, stopping them, and allowing them to drop onto the ground, not wanting to know about whatever experiments that the Sith had been up to for the past millennial if this was the worst truth.

At last, Plo Koon faltered for a moment, enough for the Sith to take advantage of this, lightsaber cutting through his hands.

Her friend made a groan of pain, and the Sith raised him into the air and slammed him down onto the ground.

Jumping in front of the Kel Dor, Yaddle aimed her lightsaber at his direction.

The Dark Side flourished.

"Truly a Sith, you are," Yaddle said, eyes wide.

Plagueis giggled like a school boy who just got his favorite present. "Heroes, we shall be remembered as." He threw their species own language back at her.

Yaddle didn't respond. The female Jedi jumped up, and they slammed their blades down on another. She threw everything she had at the taller figure, their lightsabers rotating around each other. Plagueis absorbed each of the strikes.

She could sense her strength waning, her power decreasing. She needed more! She called out for it, and the Dark Side came to her. She didn't pushed it away. It was venomous, but it may be enough. In the name of the Jedi Temple, they just couldn't push it away. She closed her eyes, barely registering her lightsaber swinging around, either in defense or offense.

More.

More.

Plagueis dragged back, his lightsaber poised in front of him. Red energy bounced from Yaddle's hand, powerful, spearing to him. The Sith caught the lightning and sent it back, sending her flying back against the wall, dazing her.

Instead of taking advantage of her condition while down, she fought for balance. She grabbed her orange lightsaber and activated it.

"Oh, Sidious may have given me another offering."

The darkness she'd once denied was let in with surprising ease. Her skin melted in on itself, teeth bared together in a snarl, expression in a dark way that she once would have never imagined. Her different colored eyes were burning unhealthily...

"Too busy being dead, you will be."

The Sith seemed surprised as Yaddle threw herself at him, the darkness making everything stronger. What made her push it away for so long? Regardless, something deep down within her knew that this was wrong, that she should resist the Dark Side and allow the Force to play its course. But that wasn't strong enough.

Plagueis swung his lightsaber around, continuing to parry each of her strikes like he was a combatant since the day he was born. He twirled his lightsaber down and finally cut through her, his lightsaber battering her blade aside, and raised his hand to her direction. Her now golden eyes went wide as she was slammed against the ground, the wall, and the ceiling before she dropped before him, the invisible hold ceasing.

Yaddle felt the darkness abandoning her as Darth Plagueis deactivated his lightsaber and brought her to him, movements robbed from her.

The last thing she saw was his pale eyes burning in delight.

"Oh, you'll be an interesting specimen."

Sidious allowed his mask to drop as he walked inside of the private LiMerge building. His words have made quite an impact. Republicans have been rooting for a stronger leader. The Democrats had been more than reluctant about this instant Vote.

Yet one thing had been agreed by all powers: the Republic needed a change in leadership.

While Valorum's reputation hadn't been destroyed before it was "confirmed" he was working with the Trade Federation, now there would be nothing left beside him waiting for a sentence out in a cell when a trial date was assigned. It started long ago before the Corporate Alliance launched a Blockade of Malester Narrows, and his democratic attempts failed, when Valorum suggested for the taxation of Free-Trade routes to make peace with the Nebula Front who had been terrorizing the Trade Federation, the Front did not think this would make any difference and attempted to murder the Chancellor. The terrorists made two assassination attempts, both of which were foiled by the Jedi. Shortly afterwards, Sidious secretly funneled several million credits, believed to have been stolen by the Nebula Front, through the Bank of Aargau, and into the accounts of the Valorum family. Sate Pestage, ensured that the exchange was uncovered by Valorum's political enemy, who revealed it to the Internal Activities Committee, thus critically weakening the Chancellor's already tenuous hold on power.

The invasion of Naboo merely been the straw that broke the ranite slugs back. Now, he had been ousted as a traitor, and Palatine was gleeful.

Palpatine could see through the logic. Valorum probably wouldn't have lasted another day regardless. He pissed off many people; failed to come through on quite many promises – due to the efforts of Sheev Palpatine of course. Things were only working out more in design than even Sidious anticipated.

Elections were tomorrow, and Palpatine was the top demand for nomination: he already had many deals with the local governments, those who were tightly held with him. To add, with Damask's support, his allies throughout the last decades along with the sympathy vote, he was already all but voted to be Chancellor.

Speaking of the old fossil, the Muun requested his presence. He appeared as if everything was normal. That was good. It meant that he didn't kept up with galactic events. The few spies from within his "Master's" team he brought would have been able to keep his early exposition under scope assuming he buried himself in the lab, and surely the Jedi would do their jobs and remove him.

Even if they failed, Sidious could use things to his advantage. He would force Plagueis in a position that didn't allow him to retaliate without damaging himself. The Muun would never admit it, but he was constantly waning in power compared to him.

"Apprentice." The tall form in the shadows appeared, a red aura radiating around him, in a seat which may be another illusion.

He scowled – something was amiss. Had it been possible that Plagueis's paranoia somehow led to him learning immortality once and for all?!

Keeping that worrisome thought at bay, Sidious said. "Master, I am now nominated to become Chancellor."

"Oh, that I am aware of, my young apprentice. This is a great day. Today marks the beginning of the end for the Jedi. There is but one last detail to take care of." He stood up. "Do you take me for a fool?" Plagueis's voice remained cold, and he had a frustrating smirk across his face. "Your feeble schemes to overthrow me became pitifully obvious from their inception. To send Jedi down to me, believing that they could defeat."

He was spiteful. There had been something else. Faint... as if the Sith had been wounded by this betrayal. Why, that must be the most beautiful thing Sidious ever saw.

"Your usefulness has come to an end, my 'Master'," Sidious responded nonchalantly.

"How long have you been plotting behind my back?" Plagueis asked coldly.

"Don't you see?" Sidious shot back. "You lost the game on the very first day you chose to train me to rule by your side—or better still, under your thumb. Teacher, yes, and for that I will be eternally grateful when I bash your brains on the ground. But Master—never." The Sith grinned.

Plagueis chuckled. "Quite an enlightening speech. No matter, you can still be useful. The plan will go on. You already have Damask's support. Quite a shame that we couldn't rule together. We could have both ruled without being at each other's throats."

"Damask is known for his shady deals. He was in command of a clandestine financial firm that dealt with everyone from organized crime bosses to local senators on worlds they hoped to make a buck off. Damask was known for being fairly reclusive and shadowy, arranging highly secret gatherings on his personal moon of the most powerful elites in the galaxy, where he brokered deals, formed alliances, and outright taunted the Republic. He openly threatened and then kidnapped three mining executives at his public gathering on Sojourn, and later casually ordered his right-hand Muun to have them executed while at the races on Malastare. He also utilized the Ichani guards. They protect his fortress, kill his enemies, and act as security for his business partners at Damask Holdings."

Plagueis chuckled. "I do wonder if there is a reason for this. We could have been equals. Nevertheless, shame, really. I wasted decades of hard work investing in you."

Sidious smirked. "And you succeeded!" He clapped his hands together. "No doubt you're instrumenting my downfall so I'm going to presume you have taken the Holocrons we have gathered then since they still had much I have yet to learn."

"No, they're no longer useful to me," the Muun dismissed.

Sidious was shocked at this, but he did his best to hide it. "However, regardless, the vessel who calls himself Supreme Leader Vader would still be a threat. I may be a Sith, Sidious, but I'm also ultimately a scientist, and a survivalist, who doesn't want to die without a purpose."

"Have you forgotten the Sith way is full of betrayal even before the Banites?" The Sith dismissed casually. Was his master intending on actually leaving him be so he could strike in any moments of weaknesses? Or perhaps Plagueis was being truthful. It all depended on Plagueis's views on who was more important: his treacherous "apprentice" or the vessel who may be more powerful than both of them.

"I had visions... those of which we come together yet again and do combat with this contradiction. The outcome varies." The Muun responded. "While I observe this threat, you would have to either improve your Mask or become more valuable in the Senate, as well as increasing your private army. Save your haste to kill me until after he's dealt with."

"Wouldn't me being discovered if he sees through me will become a risk?" Sidious inquired, arching an eyebrow.

"If Senator Palpatine is discovered without much political influence as say, Chancellor Palpatine would be able to rally up, the Supreme Leader could find dirt on you and damage the Grand Plan. My science experiments aside, the Banking Clans requires a Magister who can play more of an active role. I pity you for all the Senate work you have to do. Truth be told, the only reason I'm sparing you my wrath is because the Grand Plan can be pushed back for decades. A century if I removed you."

"You have not been politically active for decades," Sidious agreed flatly. "Your Co-Chancellorship would have gained much scrutiny."

Plagueis frowned. "Clever as ever. Fear not, we would be allies and if removed the Supreme Leader we would have the duel that you crave. For now, I have my science to attend to."

The tall form vanished along with his Force signature. Only his amused cackle remained, echoing through the room of the building.

Sidious had been trained to keep his Veil up, but he would admit he was decidedly tempted to destroy the building.

He wouldn't admit that he was fearful, at least somewhat. It didn't seem like Plagueis seemed to have the intent of killing him as other Sith Masters would have.

On top of this, Sidious would have to go to one of the secret fortresses where his Master had put his latest project in. It was far from completed and would be a great risk. Plagueis could have certainly sabotage it to kill him in the process somehow, yet Sidious doubted that was the case.

Currently, his old Master was not the one to be concerned. If Sheev Palpatine could not sustain his Chancellorship, he would have to send the Jedi down in flames much sooner, and Darth Sidious would have to operate in public. That would raise many questions, however, if things go sour. If this Vader proved to be more than just a man who wanted power and took it for himself, Sidious would have to assure he could provide pawns.

He already had multiple defense fleets that were increasing in numbers. The Republic could match the Dominion with how many members in the core scurrying to join not wanting the Dominion to grow too powerful.

Contingencies would have to be put in place. Sheev Palpatine's influence had been immense, yet in the case of his death or discovery of true alignment to the Sith, Sidious would have to be prepared to turn loyalists into followers.